Elizabeth, a ceramicist, moulds success in high-end crockery

Elizabeth Nenge is one of the few ceramicists in Kenya whose signature style is on display in high-end restaurants: But in crockery form.

I first encountered Ms Nenge’s artist work while having lunch at The Jiko Restaurant, Tribe Hotel in Nairobi. She is the creator behind the plates and bowls the food is served in.

Weeks later, I am at her workshop in Nairobi’s Ngong Racecourse. From the torrent of chaos at the workshop, she moulds beautiful crockery and also teaches the art of pottery.

“I’m just from wrapping up a pottery class,” she says, smears of clay on her. She teaches from open space and the wonderful sounds of nature.

Then there is her real ‘office’ where three employees are cleaning up after the students, disconnecting electric wheeling machines, removing unused mounds of clay – and putting them in one of the two refurbished containers that her company – Tridenn Ceramics – works from.

At the far end, shelves carry ceramic tableware, breathing in the conspicuous smell of dried clay. Some are finished works, so chic that they will be the talk of the table. Others are fancy pieces in waiting while others are “failures”.

“Being recognised as a specialist at such a young age is one of my greatest achievements,” says Ms Nenge, who is half-Kenyan, half-Tanzanian.

The 27-year-old is among the few professional ceramists who have gained success in the crockery market. She traces her entry into pottery to a class in Makini School when she was three years old.

“I discovered clay there since they had a ceramics class. The first thing I made was a pencil holder. My parents still have it. It’s such an ugly thing but they keep it because it’s by me,” she says. If it was not for this ceramics class, she would have been a fashion designer.

Art eventually became her favourite subject, and she focused on observatory painting until graduating from the IB level. She then moved to the United Kingdom to do a year-long foundation course in art, majoring in product design.

“During that year, every product I designed happened to be ceramics. Seeing a ceramicist in me, my instructors egged me on,” she says.

Fully chosen by, and equally choosing clay, she enrolled at Central Saint Martins – the Bauhaus of the modern day - pursuing a three-year degree course in Ceramic Design. Her summer holidays were spent in the US teaching pottery lessons granting her invaluable experience.

“There are people who do pottery for fun. That’s not me. To me, pottery is an addiction. I work on it during the day and murmur about it at night. There’s nothing else I’d rather do,” she says.

Increasing demand

Ceramic products usually begin as hard, course lumps of clay buried six feet under. There are heaps of it at Ms Nenge’s workshop. Once mined, it is soaked in water and sun-dried (or dried using a humidifier).

Afterwards, it is smooth, sticky and pliable. On the wheel, it is moulded as the artist desires. Later, it is fired in a kiln, glazed, and fired again. On cooling, it is ready for sale.

“Good quality ceramics when hit, it sounds like glass,” the artist reveals.

As the Kenyan market grows in taste and resources, there is been a change in emphasis from functional cheap ware to artisanal beauty.

This has led to an increase in demand for restaurants such as Jiko, to locally made, high-end crockery has opened opportunities for ceramists like Ms Nenge, who partner to produce custom-made tableware.

“Jiko Restaurant approached me to design and manufacture their tableware upon reopening after the pandemic,” she says. “They were our first professional clients.”

She has also designed for Ankole Grill, Gekko and Hob House, private individuals and residences. Her work is human design centered and her signature style is the use of earthly tones and simple colours.

“I love the raw colour of clay, so I work hard to maintain it. I want you to celebrate the beauty of clay as you use the product,” she says.

Growing passion

Besides making the art pieces for clients, Ms Nenge teaches pottery three to five days a week. The classes range from Sh1,500 for children and Sh2,500 for adults per hour. On average, she gets 30 students per class, showing her growing passion to learn pottery and her way of helping preserve the craft.

I inquire as to how she feels whilst on the potter’s wheel. She founded Tridenn Ceramics with Radovan Boca, a capital investor, for Sh10 million in 2019 and part of the money was used to purchase equipment such as the potter’s wheel.

“It depends. Sometimes meditative, other times frustrated by something not coming out as I’d envisioned it,” she says.

I get to see her passion when we take to the wheel. In her hands, the clay is obedient. A splash of water here and there, it is ready to be anything she wants.

The electric wheeling machine fires up, and her eyes sparkle with glee. Under her graceful guidance, the blob of clay with every spin upwards or sideways transforms into a salad bowl.

“It’s my life’s mission to build a growing community of young ceramicists,” she says.

At first, it was difficult since people did not know who a ceramicist is. Secondly, many locals did not know about pottery owing to the gap in the country’s education system.

“Kenyatta University is the only school that teaches pottery. The lessons are too general as opposed to being in-depth and specific, a recipe for success,” she explains.

As a ceramicist, what has she learned from working with clay?

“You have to be strong and gritty so that when you’re applied to situations, you can survive the pressure. Also, there’s beauty in the imperfection (pauses) and people who see it,” she says.

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